Telstra and Chemist Warehouse workers strike over pay, conditions

Workers at Telstra and Chemist Warehouse will strike today over disputes involving pay and conditions.

The 24-hour stoppage by Telstra staff will impact maintenance, including diagnostics, testing, new service provisioning including NBN connections, fault repairs and investigations. It will not affect triple 0 call centres.

The strike action follows a breakdown in talks between the company and union representatives over a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

The Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) argues Telstra’s proposed 4.5 per cent pay rise over three years is a wage cut in real terms.

CEPU Communications Division National President, Shane Murphy said the telco had to start taking its workforce seriously.

“Thousands of Telstra workers across the country will send a message to Telstra on Tuesday that it’s time to take the workforce seriously.”

The union says it planned ‘symbolic action’ but has escalated the strike when the telco threatened to dock workers’ pay for taking part.

Telstra is embarking on a restructuring of its workforce that has seen 3205 full-time jobs shed in six months.

The warehouses in Somerton and Preston in Victoria and Eagle Farm in Queensland are vital in supplying Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist outlets around the country.

The National Union of Workers (NUW) says the workers are paid less than those in competitor companies.

It also wants to see more workers moved to permanent employment status.

“This is a David and Goliath struggle. It is a struggle between haves and have-nots. Workers’ wages are declining while wealth and power continues to grow at the top end of town,” said Tim Kennedy, NUW national secretary.